Radios are such a valuable emergency tool because it doesn't require the power-grid to be up, nor does it require any cell towers or telecommunication lines working. They work directly between user-to-user with absolutely ZERO intermediaries or infrastructure. And because they are far less common, there is less chance that — after an emergency — the lines will be over-burdened.

Good news! 40 miles is not too far in certain conditions for HAM radio. As you may know, there are different frequencies and all things being equal, the lower the frequency, the farther the signal will typically travel. High Frequency (HF) radio is lowest, followed by VHF (Very High Frequency) and then Ultra-High Frequency (UHF).

You can operate some freqencies without a HAM license (such as the 14 FMRS channels and 5 MURS channels). However, on both of these, the limit to the wattage of the radio to legally operate is too low to go as far as you need (0.5W and 2.0W respectively). Also, these can't use repeaters (explanation below). This means you are going to use a "HAM" radio frequency.

There are three HAM licenses that you earn in sequential order. All you probably need is the first level (Thechnitian). But this means you MUST get a license. Don't worry, it's kinda fun and the test isn't bad. However, there is no way you'll pass the test without studying. Fortunately, there is a site (I will give you the link at the end) that has lessons, flashcards and sample tests (with the exact, word for word questions you will likely see on the test; it will cost you about 10 hours of studying, and $15. You can do it!) You won't be able to operate HF frequencies with this first level license, but that doesn't matter. Here's why...

Under "ideal" conditions (ideal, meaning one of you are on a hill and there are no trees or terrain blocking your line-of-sight to your other point of conversation), you may be able to use a "hand-held radio" and go point-to-point 40 miles. But you are probably not in ideal conditions. This means that you have two legitimate options to communicate with your wife...

For one, you can use the miracle of repeaters very easily. What's a repeater? ...I live near a 14,000"-tall mountain near colorado springs that has repeaters on it. This means I can broadcast to the mountain (and I can reach it easily becasue it's one of those "ideal conditions" I was talking about ... there's direct line-of-sight and I can see it from almost anywhere ...) Once my signal gets to the station on top of the mountain, a high-power repeater will instantly rebroadcast that signal in 360-degrees. Because it's on such a high mountain and broadcasts with high power, I can talk to people across about a 1/4 of the state of Colorado! ...almost to Kansas and to the half-way line west of us in Colorado. But there are hundreds of repeaters all over the state and all over the country. And there is a very helpful website (I'll include the link at the bottom) that tells you where all of the repeaters are in your state and how to program your radio to use them. Almost all of them are free to the public. Using a repeater, you almost certainly will be able to make that 40-mile distance on a basic hand-held HAM radio. If you are talking about the distance between Provo/Orem and Salt Lake, for example, there will be many repeaters you could utilize along the point of the mountain and along the Wasatch front.

The potential problem with repeaters is they require power; they may have a backup generator for emergencies, but they might rely solely on the power grid. But good news! Even without a repeater, you can probably call direct point-to-point and make the 40 mile distance. To do this you need more power ... more than you will get in a handheld radio. But don't worry, we aren't talking about a home station ... you can use a "mobile" HAM radio, which is the term they use for a radio in your vehicle. These can operate up to 100W or so, and that is definitely enough to make the 40-mile distance. And besides, haven't you always wanted to pull down a speaker mic from your truck's visor and start talking to your friends/family by radio? Now you can. And it doesn't even cost much more!

So here are the links and equipment I might recommend... feel free to ask me any questions:

- Hamstudy.org - This is the website to study for the test. You will first be working to get your "Technician" license
- tinhatranch.com/how-to-get-your-ham-radio-license-in-7-days/ - This website has a short article with more info on how to schedule your test in your area, and the process you'll be going through

- Because of price, here is the equipment I might recommend:

- BaoFeng UV-82HP High Power Dual Band Radio: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Z52HP10/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_7e-FCbCWWSRT6 (This radio is a little pricey; it is more rugged and has a rocker button that allows you to quickly broadcast on two frequencies, making network conversation easier. It is a max of 8W, which is very powerful for a hand radio and is what I have. You would need to use repeaters to make 40 miles [probably])

- BaoFeng 2-pack UV-5RTP https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SY0II2A/ref=sspa_dk_detail_5?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B00SY0II2A&pd_rd_w=IsfNp&pf_rd_p=8a8f3917-7900-4ce8-ad90-adf0d53c0985&pd_rd_wg=fOhzg&pf_rd_r=RY5WD89C44TXQW97WTWX&pd_rd_r=d8e133f4-a89d-11e9-95ef-ff89da75d8b9 (This dual pack is probably the best deal out there. These new-model TP "tri-power" UV-5R radios are just as powerful as the other one. For the same price, you can get two. This pack also comes with the programming cable which you need to get (You can buy it seperately too for about $15). It comes with speaker mics you can use in your car.

- Chirp - Chirp is the free software you need to download to program your BaoFeng radios. NOTE! Unless they make an update by then, if you buy the UV-5RTP radios, you can't select that you have a UV-5R radio; it won't work properly. That's because you have a Tri-power radio, which has not been a common feature of UV-5R models of radios. You must select that you have a “Baofeng BF-F8HP.” This software is easy to use, but you must remember that the FIRST THING you do to program your radio is to plug in your radio to your computer (using the program cable) and then in the Chirp dropdown, select "download from radio" This will give you the template you need to start tailoring your program. When done, you "import to radio." You'll be able to pre-program 127 channels. The most difficult thing to do is just deciding which preparedness stations you want and which repeaters you want to use. Feel free to contact me for help; Google will be your friend. In my radios, I have something like 7 common channels I'll use with friends, 40 emergency preparedness channels, 50 repeater channels, and 30 FRS/FMRS/MURS channels.

- Repeaterbook.com - Don't go to repeaterbook.com. You want to find the Repeater Book site for your state. For example, if you live in Utah, go to this page (https://www.repeaterbook.com/repeaters/index.php?state_id=49). This site is money! It will tell you the information you need to program hundreds of repeaters into your radio. Then you can tell your wife, "In case of emergency, just use channel 2 and push the button. It will use the Point of the Mountain VHF repeater and we'll be able to talk." You have to learn to translate this info to Chirp software however. This is where you either google it, or you contact me.

- Upgrade your antenna - This isn't required, but you should do it. The antenna your radio comes with is not very good. By spending $15, you double or triple the range of your radio! You can buy other antennas than what I recommend here, but this gives you an idea of what you're looking for... make sure that you get one that is compatible with your radio!!!! (e.g. BaoFeng) https://smile.amazon.com/SPPQ-Original-Antenna-BaoFeng-Kenwood/dp/B073W5GZ43/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=nagoya+baofeng+antenna+2-pack&qid=1563374467&s=electronics&sr=1-6

- If you want to use your radio in the car, then I recommend you buy this antenna (or similar) that attaches by magnet to the top of your car; you will learn that the glass and metal surrounding the cabin of your vehicle drastically reduces the effectiveness of your radio; so something like this is very important for "mobile" calling; it screws directly into your radio, in place of the antenna: https://www.amazon.com/Authentic-Genuine-Nagoya-UT-72-Magnetic/dp/B016SIJX28/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=19%22%2Bvhf%2Bantenna&qid=1552421394&s=electronics&sr=1-4&th=1

- If you want a high-power "mobile" radio to stay in your vehicle, and which will allow you to skip using repeaters, than something like this is what you want to buy. I don't have any experience with programming or using these: https://www.amazon.com/QYT-KT-980PLUS-Mobile-Radio-Standby/dp/B07B7H2LQC/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=75w+radio&qid=1552423979&refinements=p_72%3A1248879011&rnid=1248877011&s=electronics&sr=1-3

Good luck!